Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-09-14
IDAHO.
She should b. Enlarged, Rather tina,
Obliterated.

San Francisco Mining and Scientific pressJ
It appears that an effort is to be
made at the next session of Congress
to have the Territory OF Idaho divided
and annexed, tho southern half to the
State Of Nevada, and the northern
half to Washington Territory. The
reasons assigned for this conte mplated
movement are a. follows: First, it il
alleged that the population of Idaho
is too small and her resources too
limited to justify the expense Of
keeping up her present Territorial
organization; the prospect being, it
is argued, that not for a long time, if
ever, will she possess enough people
or wealth to warrant her being erected
into State. Next, we are told tina.
tho State Of Nevada, which adjoins
Idaho on the south, though member
OF the Union, contains 50 few inhsb.
itants that the maintenance of State
government becomes to them xtre me.
ly burdensome; 80 much 40 that there
has, in times past, been serious talk
of seeking restoration to Territorial
condition.; and then We have Wash.
'ngton Territory, anxious and almost
qualified to enter tho Union, and,
were Northern Idaho added to her
present territory, with enough popu.
lation to entitle her to admission.
These, in brief, are the principal
arguments adduced in favor OF the
proposed dismembermsnt Of Idaho.
To our mind they seem utterly in.
sufficient, carrying with them 10 little
weight that tho wonder Is that they
ever came to be seriously entertained,
even BY the politicians in whose in.
terests it is probable this scheme has
been concocted. And, first, a. re.
CARDS population: Nevada, it is true,
contains but small number of inhab.
'tants-not more, perhaps, than City
thousand, all told. But the major
part Of them are well-to.do, il not
wealthy, consisting of largo cattle,
land, and mine.owners. Nevada com.
prises an area of 1O4 ,l25 square miles,
of which q, 1000 are suitable for t;llage,
most OF the balance afford,ng good
pasturage. Her agricultural, grazing
and mineral resources are immen se,
although not yet much developed.
Through recourse to irrigation and
the sinking of artesian wells, both her
grain and stock-ra raising capacities are
likely to show themselves susceptible
OF great enlargement. To a realiza.
ton OF her advantages in this respect
her Inhabitants seem only recently to
have awakened. With 30 many
sources of available wealth the pop
ulation of Nevada is bound to increase
rapidly III the futsre-so rapidly that
the maintenance of a State orpaniza.
ton will not be likely to strain the
financial resources of her citizens SO.
verely. While the people of Nevada
may desire to extend their territory,
we hardly think they would care to
have poverty assigned as the ground
OF such desire. When in 1864 this
State was organized and admitted 10
the Union, the great prospective
wealth OF the Comstock mines en-
couraged the. belief that other like
deposits of the precious metals would
be found within her limits. While
this expectation, with the consequent
rapid influx of population, has no.
been realized, her vast mineral re-
sources have nevertheless been fully
demonstrated. Recovered from the
reaction OF SO great disappointment,
this State has for several years past
shown in all her industries such man.
ifest improvement as denotes for her
a steady progress in the future. She
contains now nearly thousand miles
of railroad, and has within her Dor.
ders more good farming land than is
comprised in Massachusetts,, Connect.
tout, Delaware and Rhode Island oil
put together, with four times as much
grazing land besides. She has q
United States Mint located at Carson
City, the capital of the State, ha.
public buildings of all needed kinds
erected and paid for, is out of debt,
and her people should be the last in
the world to plead poverty a. an ex.
ouse for anything they may desire to